In late '43, German general was entertaining a young woman. Trying to impress her, he took her to a meeting room and unfurled a large world map on the table.

There was a small black shape with a swastica on it. "The Fatherland," he said, beaming.

He pointed to a small green area. "Great Britain...of course you know we're at war with them."

His hand swept to one side of the map, over a large blue area. "That's North America."

Her eyes grew large. "We're fighting them too?" she asked.

The general gave a knowing nod, enjoying her awe, then made a broad gesture to a huge red area on the other side of the map. "And that's the Soviet Union. We're at war with them now as well."

The woman studied the map silently for a moment, her gaze going from tiny Germany to the colossal regions he'd indicated, her brow furling with increasing concern. Finally she shook her head in disbelief. "You must show this map to the Fuhrer right away!"